N. V. N. Somu

N. V. N. Somu
28th Union Minister of State for Defence
In office 21 April 1997 – 14 November 1997
Prime Minister	Inder Kumar Gujral
Minister	Mulayam Singh Yadav
Preceded by	Himself
Succeeded by	Harin Pathak (1999-2000)
In office 6 July 1996 – 21 April 1997
Prime Minister	H. D. Deve Gowda
Minister	Mulayam Singh Yadav
Preceded by	Mallikarjun Goud<br />(September 1995-May 1996)
Succeeded by	Himself
Member of the Indian Parliament<br/>(Lok Sabha)
In office 10 May 1996 – 14 November 1997
Preceded by	D. Pandian
Succeeded by	C. Kuppusami<br />(1998-2009)
Constituency	Chennai North
In office December 1984 – November 1989
Preceded by	G. Lakshmanan
Succeeded by	D. Pandian
Constituency	Chennai North
Member of<br/>Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office 19 June 1980 – 15 November 1984
Preceded by	T. S. Nallathambi
Succeeded by	K. Anbazhagan
Constituency	Park Town
Deputy Mayor of Madras
In office 29 November 1971 – 1972
Preceded by	To be ascertained
Succeeded by	To be ascertained
Personal details
Born	Natarajan Somasundaram (1937-05-11)11 May 1937 Gnayiru, Chingleput District, Madras Province, British India (now Tiruvallur district,<br/>Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	14 November 1997(1997-11-14) (aged 60) Between Mago and Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Cause of death	Helicopter crash
Political party	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
Spouse(s)	Uma Devi
Children	Thirumaran (son) Kanimozhi NVN Somu (daughter)
Parent(s)	Bhuvaneshwari (mother) N. V. Natarajan (father)
Occupation	Politician, journalist, lawyer, trade unionist

Natarajan Somasundaram (11 May 1937 – 14 November 1997),<ref name=":0">"Somu killed in helicopter crash". Rediff.com. 14 November 1997. Retrieved 31 October 2018.</ref> popularly known as N. V. N. Somu, was a politician, journalist, lawyer, and trade unionist from Tamil Nadu, India. He was a veteran of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Somu served as a councillor in the Madras Corporation (1968-73), Deputy Mayor of Madras (1971-72) Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Park Town (1980-84), and Member of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Chennai North (1984-89; 1996-97). In his second tenure as MP, he also served as Minister of State for Defence under two successive Prime Ministers - H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral. The later tenure was cut short by his death in a helicopter crash, when he was on an official tour of Arunachal Pradesh in November 1997.

Somu's daughter Kanimozhi NVN Somu is also a DMK MP, representing Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha since 2021.

Early life

He was born to a Mudaliar family on 11 May 1937 in Gnayiru<ref> https://www.facebook.com/DrKanimozhiSomu/posts/%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B4%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%8A%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4-%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AE%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%A9%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%95-%E0%AE%8E%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B1%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B4%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D-%E0%AE%8E%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%8E%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%8B%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81-%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%9F-%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B1/1522232052669672/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)</ref><ref> https://x.com/mukesh06DMK/status/1984440335381250094?s=20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)</ref> (a suburb in present-day Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu) to Dravidian movement veterans Bhuvaneshwari and N. V. Natarajan. In late 1938, at 18 months, Somu accompanied his mother to Vellore Central Prison, owing to the latter's participation in the Anti-Hindi agitation launched by 'Periyar' E. V. Ramasamy, then leader of the Justice Party and the Self-Respect Movement<ref name=":0" />

Career

Somu joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) during his student days. After training as a lawyer, he began his career as a reporter in the Tamil-language newspaper Dina Thanthi.<ref name=":0" /> During 1953-66, he was the sub-editor of Dravidan<ref name=":1">LOK SABHA DEBATES (English Version): Sixth Session (ParT I) (Eleventh Lok Sabha) (PDF). LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT, NEW DELHI. 1997. p. 3.</ref> a Tamil weekly published by his father.<ref>"இதழ் விவரங்கள் : திராவிடன்".</ref>

He also headed the DMK's legal wing for several years.<ref name=":0" />

At the Madras Corporation (1968-73)

In 1968, he was elected as a DMK councillor (Kondiyampathi Division) to the Madras Corporation. The next year (1969), owing to his trade unionist credentials, he became the President of The Hindu Office and National Press Employees' Union.<ref>"Today in Indian History - N. V. N. Somu, Union Minister of State for Defence and president of The Hindu Office and National Press Employees Union from 1969, died in Army Helicopter crash at Tezpur in Arunachal Pradesh". www.baltimoreindian.com. Retrieved 31 January 2026.</ref>

On 29 November 1971, he defeated M. Bhaktavatsalam [of the Indian National Congress (O)] by 32 votes to become Deputy to Mayor Kamakshi Jayaraman. He remained in that position till 1972.<ref>"How a Brahmin woman was elected the Mayor of Madras on DMK ticket in 1971". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2026.</ref>

Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (1980-84)

He was elected as Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Park Town constituency in 1980.

1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election: Park Town<ref>Election Commission of India. "Statistical Report on General Election 1980" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2009.</ref>

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DMK	N. V. N. Somu	38,095	55.94%	23.16%
	GKC	S. Lalchand Daga	23,197	34.06%
	JP	A. Arumugha Naicker	6,556	9.63%
	Independent	Nahar Manakchand	146	0.21%
	Independent	C. Jagajothi Alias Govindarajulu	104	0.15%
Margin of victory			14,898	21.88%	17.16%
Turnout			68,098	57.11%	9.58%
Registered electors			120,797
	DMK hold		Swing	23.16%

Member of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) (1984-89; 1996-97)

He was elected as a Member of the Indian Parliament (MP) from Chennai North Lok Sabha constituency twice - in 1984 and 1996.<ref>Volume I, 1984 Indian general election, 8th Lok Sabha</ref><ref>Volume I, 1996 Indian Lok Sabha election, 11th Lok Sabha</ref>

1984 Indian general election: Chennai North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DMK	N. V. N. Somu	261,941	52.20%	−5.13%
	INC	G. Lakshmanan	2,25,491	44.93%
Margin of victory			36,450	7.26%	-11.89%
Turnout			5,01,827	51.33%	−19.98%
Registered electors			9,91,099		34.08%
	DMK hold		Swing	-5.13%

1996 Indian general election: Chennai North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DMK	N. V. N. Somu	559,048	66.11%	27.66%
	INC	D. Pandian	1,69,431	20.04%	−34.58%
	CPI(M)	W. R. Varada Rajan	66,479	7.86%
	BJP	Mohan V. Bharathamatha	19,113	2.26%	−0.10%
	PMK	G. Mahadevan	16,143	1.91%
Margin of victory			3,89,617	46.07%	29.91%
Turnout			8,45,640	55.85%	0.72%
Registered electors			15,53,112		14.31%
	DMK gain from INC		Swing	11.50%

Union Minister of State for Defence (1996-97)

Soon after being elected from the Chennai North constituency in 1996, Somu took oath as Union Minister of State (Defence) in the ministry under Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda on 6 July 1996. After Deve Gowda's resignation in April 1997, Somu was sworn in to the same portfolio in the succeeding ministry under Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral. In both these tenures, Somu was ministerial junior to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Death

Background

On 13 November 1997, Somu toured Arunachal Pradesh's areas bordering China as part of a two-day official visit to the northeastern States. The next day (November 14), he was scheduled to address the Indian Army's senior officials, including the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GoC) of the IV Corps at Tezpur, Assam.<ref name=":2" /> After that, he was intending to fly back to Chennai via Calcutta, West Bengal the same night. His subsequent plans included participation as chief guest in the National Library Week celebrations on 15 November, and to formally request Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi for a foreword for a proposed publication on N.V. Natarajan.<ref name=":3">"When a Union Minister of State from Tamil Nadu died in a chopper crash in Arunachal Pradesh". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 January 2026. Retrieved 31 January 2026.</ref>

The crash

On November 14 morning, after a telephone conversation with his wife,<ref name=":3" /> Somu boarded a Cheetah helicopter stationed north of Mago village, Lungar Sector in Tawang district. He was accompanied by Major General Ramesh Chandra Nagpal (GoC of the Four Mountain Division).<ref name=":2" /> The helicopter (driven by pilot majors PK Agarwal and PC Sharma) took off at around 9:00 am IST. Shortly afterwards, at 9:10 am, radio contact with the helicopter was lost. Around 9:20 am, the helicopter crashed at a nearby remote area at an altitude of more than 4000 metres,<ref name=":2" /> killing all four occupants. Five army choppers, sent to rescue probable survivors, could only locate the wreckage with the bodies at 12:10 pm.<ref name=":0" /> Official sources said the crash was apparently caused due to poor visibility caused by mist in the early hours.<ref name=":2" />

Condolences

• President K. R. Narayanan praised Somu as "a diligent and conscientious member of the council of ministers and an able parliamentarian", adding that his demise removed "a personality of prominence and great promise to the country".<ref name=":2" />
• Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, on hearing the news, cancelled his scheduled two-day visit to Bombay, where he was to commission the warship INS Delhi (D61).<ref name=":0" /> He called Karunanidhi to convey his condolences to Somu's family.<ref name=":3" /> Praising Somu as "a warm and gentle person"<ref name=":2" /> in his condolence message, Gujral added “His views were always constructive and were expressed in the larger interest of the country. I shall miss his wise counsel in the Council of Ministers.”<ref name=":3" />

• Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav described Somu as an honest and upright minister whose untimely death was an irreparable loss to the DMK and the United Front government.<ref name=":2" />
• Lok Sabha Speaker P. A. Sangma said that he had lost "a valued friend and parliamentary colleague" and that the country "a young administrator of considerable promise".<ref name=":2" />
• Atal Behari Vajpayee (former PM) said "the tragic death of NVN Somu is a loss for which we will all grieve".<ref name=":2" />
• The central secretariat of the Communist Party of India (CPI) expressed its "deep shock and sorrow" at Somu's death.<ref name=":2" />
• Karunanidhi said that the service rendered by Somu “as the artery of the Dravidian movement" could not be forgotten. He added "[Somu] was the personification of love and compassion, a model of simplicity and he moved with everyone with brotherly affection. Death had suddenly engulfed such a kind-hearted person.<ref name=":3" />

Funeral

Somu's body was taken to Tezpur for embalming. It was then taken to Madras and was laid in state at Somu's house in Purasawalkam.<ref name=":2" /> The funeral was attended by Gujral, his wife Sheila Gujral, Vajpayee, Mulayam Singh, G. K. Moopanar, and Karunanidhi.<ref name=":3" /> The chiefs of the three uniformed services were present, along with other senior officers and "thousands" of people.<ref name=":0" /> The body was cremated at Brick Kiln Road cremation ground, following last rites by Somu's son Thirumaran, and the army's 21-gun salute succeeded by reversed arms. After that, Army buglers sounded the Last Post.<ref name=":3" />

Aftermath

An obituary reference to Somu was made in the Lok Sabha on 19 November by Sangma.<ref name=":1" />

Family

He was survived by his wife Uma Devi,<ref name=":3" /> son Thirumaran, and a daughter Kanimozhi NVN Somu - both doctors.<ref name=":2">"Somu Killed In Copter Crash Over Arunachal". Business Standard. 15 November 1997. Retrieved 15 May 2017.</ref> Kanimozhi NVN Somu is a DMK MP in the Rajya Sabha, representing Tamil Nadu since September 2021.<ref>Kolappan, B. (21 April 2016). "Descendants shine in party of rising sun". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016.</ref><ref name=":3" />